To Seal Our Happiness
To Seal Our Happiness, by E.E. Nalley, is the Parents’ Day story for Fall 2007. It is in three parts; the first part was published on 2018-06-04 and the last on 2018-07-09. There is one scene on 2007-10-26; most of the remainder occurs on 2007-10-27 with one scene on 2007-10-29. Summary Part 1 Part 1 was published on 2018-06-04 and covers 2007-10-26 and part of 2007-10-27. 2007-10-26 - - > Nalley residence While Gene Nalley is preparing for the trip up to Whateley for Parents’ Day, he finds a pair of work boots in the back of the closet where his wife had relocated them. He finds a letter from his daughter, Lanie, that she’d put in there so he’d discover it just after she left for school. 2007-10-27 Marty Penn, who is one of the greeters at the Dunwich train station for the Parents’ Express, is being extremely nervous about meeting her boyfriend’s parents for the first time. In fact, she’s throwing up in the ladies room. Tansy Walcutt has a short discussion with her mother, Marissa Dawson, before the buses arrive from the train station with her grandparents. Tansy is wearing the special ‘senior uniform’ that the Headmistress has decreed for senior girls who are going to be showing parents around. She has her force pistol concealed in a ‘flashbang holster’. Headmistress Carson talks to one of the school trustees, Lord Paramount, as the buses with the parents arrive. She directs parents who are here for the first time to a short presentation given by the Assistant Headmistress. Maria and her apartment mate, Donna Fiedler, meet in the Melville coffee shop. They have a bit of a discussion and finally get to what they have been avoiding for a while - they might be in love with each other. Or at least in lust. Harvey Calloway is working. His parents aren’t coming, and there aren’t any non-busy friends to hang out with. Besides, with his Diedrick’s, there’s no way to be safe around people who don’t know his triggers. He tells himself he’s happy being a loner. Tansy’s grandparents arrive in a Town Car. It’s a tearful reunion - they haven’t seen their daughter for years, and they haven’t seen Tansy since she was a small child. Wyatt Cody is studying magic when he has an unexpected knock on his door. It’s his mother Catherine Cody, who he wasn’t expecting. He mentions he’s no longer seeing Maria, and goes to introduce his mother to Elaine Nalley. Marty Penn is helping out at a refreshments table at Poe Cottage when she sees her boyfriend, Stephen Nalley walk up with two people she doesn’t recognize. They’re his parents, Gene and JoAnn Nalley. Mrs. Nalley detaches the two men so she can spend a few minutes getting to know Marty and calm her down. Elaine Nalley is primping a bit when there’s a knock on the door. She’s expecting her brother and parents, but it turns out to be Wyatt Cody and his mother. After a bit of embarrassment, they get acquainted. Then Gene Nalley arrives. They get acquainted. Then Gene sends the rest of them to join his son and wife while he has a discussion with Lanie about the letter he had found. As he put it once he understood the situation, “you can’t get more Biblical than that!” Part 2 Part 2 was published on 2018-06-18 and continues 2007-10-27. As soon as her roommate, Shelly Carson, leaves, Maggie Finson resume work on the spell to expel Lanie Nalley’s spirit. Adam Carlisle and his brother Razorback start tearing round the campus. Assistant Headmistress Hartford watches her boss, Headmistress Carson, approach an expensively dressed man with a woman half his age and inappropriately dressed. She nudges her fiancee. “Ah, the show is about to begin.” Tansy Walcutt is showing her mother and her grandparents the Homer Gallery when her grandmother shows signs of confusion and loss of memory. Tansy takes her to the ladies room and discovers that her mind seems to be malfunctioning. Marissa (who stayed behind) asks her father what was happing. Daniel says she has early stage Alzheimers and they’re looking at a Solon 4 trial in the EU. Wyatt Cody, his mother and Stephen Nalley join Mrs. Nalley and Marty on the back patio at Poe. Then they’re joined by Gene Nalley and Lanie, and head for the Crystal Hall for lunch. Tansy Walcutt tries to get her temper under control after discovering that her grandmother has Alzheimers. Then Angelina Cromwell comes up, crying because her mother isn’t there. Tansy adopts her for the day, and introduces her to her parents. They head for the Homer Gallery. Then Marissa Dawson has to answer a call for the Legal Counsel. John is working at matching what he sees through various materials against a color wheel. He finally gets a material that is almost perfect: it blocks his power, but still lets ordinary light through in a form he can use. It Works! Headmistress Carson draws Theodore Walcutt into her web. Maria and Donna Fiedler begin to explore their relationship. The trap around Theodore Walcutt springs shut. Lord Paramount and Robert Turner are reminiscing over the school as they remember it as students when a man (Theodore Walcutt) comes running out of Administration shouting obscenities. Catherine Cody is awed by the sheer magnificence of the Crystal Hall. Eventually, she tells her son that she’s getting a divorce and moving back to California from Alaska. Gunny Bardue and Debbie Cantrel prepare to meet the wave of parents heading toward Hawthorn Cottage. Tansy recoils in shock on discovering that her grandmother has Alzheimers. Jadis Diabolik finds her sobbing and comforts her. Once the storm passes, they discuss what happened. Then Jadis calls her father. Adam Carlisle discovers his brother Jack’s gift. Tansy is talking her relationship situation over with her mother when someone called “Aunt June” tries to arrest the Imp. Imp leads her out of the Crystal Hall, where Headmistress Carson joins the chase. Then Adam Carlisle, waving a sword, dressed in a full suit of armor and riding his brother, Razorback, joins the chase, with sound effects. Part 3 Part 3 was published on 2018-07-09. It finishes 2007-10-27 with one scene on 2007-10-29. Headmistress Carson spends a bit of mother-daughter time with her daughter, Shelly Carson. They talk about her real father and her step-father. Liz muses a bit about the case of Jabolnski v. Delaware, which deals with situations where a person’s chronological age does not match their subjective age. The Dawsons, the Nalleys and the Codys get together for lunch. Daniel Dawson offers his house for Thanksgiving. Coyote has a serious talk with Kayda Franks about her role and the way she has been acting toward her brother. Tansy meets a number of parents near Hawthorn cottage. Mr. Penn presents Elaine Nalley with a token of the New York Police Departments’ appreciation for the lives saved by the invention of Kevra, which is being marketed as Under Armor. Theodore Walcutt, fuming from the trap that his first ex-wife has set for him, calls his lawyer and then Arthur Lewis. That night, Marty Penn prepares to go to sleep. She has a short talk with her roommate, Naomi. Jadis Diabolik and Tansy Walcutt are having their promised sleep-over when they’re interrupted by Jill Harris, one of Arthur Lewis' operatives who has been seeded into Whateley to keep a protective eye on Tansy. She says Mr. Lewis has rejected a contract to have her and her mother kidnapped. Tansy thanks her, tells her to have the bill for his services sent to her and arranges for a contact protocol. Then she calls Assistant Headmistress Hartford. 2007-10-29 Assistant Headmistress Hartford discusses some considerations for becoming a legendary hacker with her protoge, Paige Donner. The term project is going to be to destroy Theodore Walcutt. Characters Mostly in order of appearance. Part 1 *Nalley family **Gene Nalley **JoAnn Nalley - “Jody” **Loophole - Elaine Nalley - student at Whateley **Stronghold - Stephen Nalley - student at Whateley *Penn family **Mega-Girl - Martine “Marty” Penn - student at Whateley **Sgt. Michael Penn - Marty’s father **Virginia Penn - Mrs. Penn - “Ginny” - Marty’s mother *Mrs. Shugendo - the Dean of Students *Blackrose - Rosalyn Deckkard - senior *Zenith - Zoe Nesmith -senior *Dawson family **Tansy Walcutt - student, senior ***Grizzly - Tansy’s spirit **Marissa Dawson - mother, Whateley attorney **Daniel Dawson - grandfather **Penelope Dawson - grandmother *Elizabeth Carson - Headmistress *Mr. Segel of Segel, Kane and Lee, mob defense lawyer *Lord Paramount - Fredrick Couvenu - Trustee and ruler of Wallachia *Songbird - Maria Ricardo - almost the newest teacher (side story) *Bella Horton - Mrs. Horton - Poe cottage house mother (mention) *Freya - - Head of Alphas two years previously (mentioned) *Donna Fiedler - Miss Champion’s best friend. Chronologially about 80, legally 26. (side story) *Mega-Death - Harvey Calloway - Devisor with one of the worst cases of Diedrick’s ever seen. (one scene) *Cody family **Kodiak - Wyatt Cody - senior, head of the alphas ***The Kodiak - ancient Atlantean healer, now bound to Wyatt **Catherine Cody - mother *Circe - yes, that Circe *Elyzia Grimes - teacher in the Magic program *Cover Girl - Bethany “Beth” Anders *Jinx - Amanda Conner *Imp - “Ms. Imp” Art teacher (mention) Part 2 *Granite - Shelly Carson - Mrs. Carson’s daughter *Lifeline - Maggie Finson - student, healer and dupe of Nimbus *Carlyle family **Reinforce - Adam Carlyle - 6 yo bundle of energy **Razorback - Jack Carlyle - student, looks like a dinosaur **Debra Carlyle - mother *Amelia Hartford - Assistant Headmistress of Whateley Academy *Theodore Walcutt - Tansy’s father *Team Awesome!: **Ember - Angelina Cromwell *Mega-Boy - Gene McDonald *Peeper - John ? - *Jericho - Joseph “Joe” Turner *Dr. Ophelia Tenent - Doctor in Doyle Medical Center *Dr. Alexander - First headmaster of Whateley Academy (mention, deceased) *Gizmatic - Joe Wilkins - Supervillan, alumnus, runs Karadonia (mention) *Falcon - Robert Turner - Superhero with STAR League (one scene) *Oscar Bardue - “Gunny” Bardue - Crisis Simulation Team Leader (One scene) *Mrs. Cantrel - Deborah "Debbie" Cantrel - Hawthorn cottage house mother (one scene) *She-Beast - Jadis Diabolik - student, Dr. Diabolik’s daughter (One scene) *Techno-Devil - Malachi Diabolik - Jadis’ brother (mention) *Sureshock - "Aunt June" - minor Chicago hero, fixated on the Imp. Unusually clueless. Part 3 *Hugh Wells - Elizabeth Carson’s second husband, and Shelly’s father. (mention) *Owen Carson - Elizabeth Carson’s third husband, and Shelly’s stepfather (mention) *Langley Paulson - Elizabeth Carson’s current boyfriend - Advanced Technologies head. *Pejuta - Kayla Franks - student shaman *Coyote - Native American god *Pounce - Danny/Danica Franks *Mr. Chatterjee - bored parent *Mahren family **Natalie Mahren **Eldritch - Caitlin Bardue, formerly Eric Mahren **Miranda Mahren - Catlin’s younger sister. *Arthur Lewis - owner of Action Tactical, Inc *Freeze Frame Naomi Anders - student at Whateley - Marty Penn’s roommate (one scene) *Punch Evelyn “Evie” Chambers - Naomi’s lover. (mention) *Jill Harris - Action Tactical operative - mole in Operations *Elaine Claire - secretary and receptionist in Administration (mention) *Cyberkitty - cyberpath, hacker, student. *James Melville Hooper (Mention) Category:Stories Category:Gen1 Category:E. E. Nalley